


Cracks

by TintedPink



Series: The Avengers Polycule [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Hurt Stephen, M/M, Multi, Pepper’s POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 15:30:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18813733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TintedPink/pseuds/TintedPink
Summary: Stephen Strange rarely ever lets his guard down, but when he does his partners are there for him. Always.





	Cracks

Stephen’s facade doesn’t break often. They’ve been together for five years and Pepper can count the number of times she and Tony have had to comfort a sobbing or screaming Stephen. He doesn’t break like Tony does. He doesn’t break like Pepper does. Stephen cracks, chips, loses little bits of his composure at a time to expose what they know is intense pain beneath the surface of collectedness he has always portrayed so well. 

He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve like Tony does, or have so little to hide that he doesn’t have to, like Pepper does. It’s only when they’re laying in bed together, Stephen crying silent tears into the fabric of Pepper’s nightgown and holding on to Tony’s hand as tightly as he can with his own shaking one’s, that he ever shows signs of being as old and battle worn as he truly is.

They know he doesn’t tell them a quarter of what he’s really been through. They know that he doesn’t share his burden the way that he should, but Pepper has seen from past experience with Tony that pushing only ever pushed people away, and Tony has his own traumas that keep him awake at night. 

There’s nothing they can do for a man who won’t, maybe even can’t, talk about his experiences with them, except be there for him whenever possible.

Morgan is sleeping across the penthouse, the night nurse Pepper hired discreetly when she realized today was a cracked kind of day having put her to bed hours ago. Pepper is running her hands soothingly through Stephen’s hair, and Tony is murmuring something into Stephen’s ear that Pepper can‘t quite hear from where he’s spooning their husband. 

He almost never wants to talk about the cracks, the days when fissures run through his composure and leave him seeking out physical contact, feeling desperately alone and entirely unlovable. They always ask, but he usually doesn’t respond.

Not in words at least.

His responses come in the soft turning of nose into neck to hide a steadier steam of tears. Tiny whimpers in his throat caused by the physical pain of trying to clutch tighter to them. The nearly imperceptible way he curls in on himself, even when he’s spread out between them.

Pepper usually cries when Stephen cracks, though she always does her best to hide it. Tony deals better with these things, empathizes better with the sort of worst-case-scenario, end-of-life-as-they-know-it trauma that Stephen has far too much experience with.

She doesn’t know what Tony whispers in Stephen’s ears as the three of them lay together, Stephen’s facade just cracked enough to let them peak at how much he hurts and hides from them, but he always keeps going well after Stephen falls asleep, like maybe he’s warding off his nightmares.

She doesn’t know how she ever managed to help Tony cope before Stephen came into their lives. In a lot of ways maybe she hadn’t. It left her with an emptiness when she thought about the difference in the way Tony dealt with Stephen cracking and the way Pepper used to deal with Tony. A hollow feeling of inadequacy, and wonder that Tony had never left when she so obviously hadn’t given him what he needed. Not like Stephen now gives him. Not like he gives Stephen.

She kisses Stephen’s forehead, even though he’s sleeping now and won’t know it. Tony stops talking just long enough to look up at her and he smiles, sad, but only at the corners of his eyes.

She smiles back through tears and the remnants of mascara or eyeliner not well removed tracking down her checks.

Pepper is mostly along for the ride with her boys and their traumas. She can’t begin to give them what they need on her own. It’s one of the reasons she’s so glad they have each other, so glad they have Bucky. She can’t give them what they need by herself. All the advice from therapists and councilors will never really let her understand the kind of pain they feel in these moments of vulnerability. 

Tony kisses Stephen’s shoulder while he holds eye contact with her, and snuggles tighter against him.

They’ve never asked that she be enough on her own, not since the three of them have been together. 

She’s glad. 

Glad they have each other.

Glad they accept what she can offer.

Glad that between them it’s enough.

Stephen’s facade doesn’t crack often,but when it does it Pepper and Tony are always there to tend the crack and hold him together as best as they can.

If he breaks anyway, they let him, and when he’s ready they help him pick up the pieces.

That’s what they’re there for.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll maybe link the tumblr post eventually.


End file.
